Market demand for smaller, lighter, and more powerful electronic devices has driven the development of more compact packages having increased functionality. The desire for more compact packages has led to the development of semiconductor packaging technologies such as fine pitch ball grid arrays (FBGA), chip-scale packages (CSP), wafer-level packaging (WLP), multi-chip module (MCM) technology, and stacked die packaging.
These semiconductor packages include one or more highly functional semiconductor chips mounted to a carrier and electrical connectors attached between the carrier and the chip. The electrical connectors include wires, clips, etc., that electrically connect the chip to the carrier and configure the chip for use in other electronic devices. These highly functional chips have a high circuit density with an increased number of bond pads configured to receive the electrical connectors.
Connection of the electrical connectors between the carrier and the bond pads has the potential to damage the smaller, more densely packed bond pads and the features of the chip under the bond pads. For example, ball bonding is one way of bonding the electrical connectors to the bond pads on the chip. The combination of heat, pressure, and ultrasonic energy employed by ball bonding could undesirably damage an active area of the chip under the bond pad.
For these and other reasons there is a need for the present invention.